Recent Tasting Notes

I imagine this could have been a really nice Darjeeling once young, it has a pungent aroma that is sweet and spicy. However, as I bought it 3 years old already (for 30% of the original price though), it has lost some of its complexity. Nevertheless, it is still a pleasant drink with hints of cherries, apricots and spices (nutmeg in particular) and some umami as well. The astringency is very mild, in fact the tea is fairly mouth-watering and with a cooling aftertaste. Given the price I got it for, I would buy it again, although I can’t comment on the price/quality ratio of the fresh product to be honest.

A very good Darjeeling for reasonable price, even 1 year after harvest it’s still got a complex aroma. There is a lot of sweet floral notes, reminiscent of honey, dried dates and apricots, but at the same time some heavier whisky and lighter grass ones. The taste is less spectacular, but definitely enjoyable. It is slighly sweet and spicy with vegetal notes too. The astringency is not too strong and the mouthfefel is somewhat bubbly. The colour, as is often the case with FF Darjeeling, is a beautiful golden orange.

The steeping times I did were: 5s wash, 20s, 40s, 60s, 100s. It became a little flat and on the bitter side in the last one, but still retaining its character to a large degree.